


Fairytale in New York

by Wilson66



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas fic, Don't put a label on love, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Magic, New York City, Nice Hux, Other, Past Relationship(s), Rey is not from around here, Romantic Friendship, Swearing, SwoloFic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-21 08:55:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17040695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wilson66/pseuds/Wilson66
Summary: Two days before Christmas Ben Solo decides to fly to New York to win back his lost love but when a chance encounter with a woman who seems to not be from this world puts a wrench in his plans and everyone's life will never be the same.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Akashne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akashne/gifts).



> This story is for Akashne, I kinda mashed all your prompts together and this is what happened.
> 
> In my planning, the ship was Reyux, when I started writing it turned to Reylo and as I got further into it became my first attempt at Reylux.
> 
> Hope you like it  
> x

_What the hell was he doing?_ He hated flying almost as much as he hated Christmas and now Ben Solo finds himself battling through the sea of people frantically moving in and out JFK airport. No luggage beside him, only the essentials in his messenger bag and a determination that he’s not sure will last.

It all started with a movie. Like their usually is this time of year, every channel is overflowing with Christmas themed shows. Hallmark movies, so cheesy and sickly sweet that Ben has to force himself not to gag and the classic movies that everyone seems to fawn over this time of year.

And it had been his favourite that had lit the fire in his soul.

_That's what Cindy's been trying to tell everyone... and me. I don't need anything more for Christmas than this right here: my family._

_The Grinch That Stole Christmas_ continued to play as Ben stood staring at the screen in silence, with every minute, a wild idea forming in his head, as he watched Jim Carrey’s Grinch’s heart grow two sizes bigger. His state of the art apartment was a cold reflection of the sinking feeling that he felt in his chest, not a glimmer of festive cheer recognised in this cold penthouse apartment in the middle of Chicago.

Making his way to find a taxi, he calls his boss and quits, not giving Andrew Snoke the chance to scream and curse down the line. He texts his mother, knowing that if he hears her no-nonsense voice she would know he was lying and refuse to listen to reason as he nervously sits in the back of his ride, anxiously flicking the pages of his passport.

_Ben Solo was coming to New York to win the love of his life back._

*  
_This world is a strange place._

Rey winces as her ears begin to pop from the portal, the stillness and quiet of the Enchanted Forest, a memory when she is thrust in the hustle and bustle of this world. Maz, the witch’s words of encouragement and caution ring in her ears when her eyes begin to focus.

_The belonging you seek is not behind you, it is ahead._

The noise hurts her ears, the lights are painful to her eyes, but Rey has suffered a millennia alone and now she is in this strange world to find her family.

*

He had lost his nerve. When the taxi driver had asked for the drop off address, Benjamin Solo had panicked and practically screamed for the Rockefeller centre. He’s not sure why, but it’s December 23rd and packed with panicked New Yorkers trying to fit in some last minute shopping and tourists who are trying to take 650 million selfies with the giant, famous tree whilst trying to remain upright on the ice rink even at this late hour.

_You’re a mean one, Mr Grinch._

The memory of this place draws a painful ache in Ben’s heart. Bundled up in his thickest coat, the coal coloured fabric stark against the glitz and festivity that seemed to have gripped everyone in The Big Apple. He pulls the material closer against his broad chest, trying to combat the cold and the unease building inside. He knows what he has to do, he’s just not sure if he’s strong enough to do it.

It’s not like he can call first, he knows he wouldn’t be welcome. And the fact that he daren’t turn his phone on, seeing as Leia is on the warpath, not believing his quick text that he had found a last minute holiday in the Polish Lake district and that he would be seeing her around the New Year.

_No, turning the cell phone back on was not an option._

He could feel his temper fraying at the seams of his sanity walking in this chaos. Spotting a side street, his heart leaping at a reprieve of being able to have space for his 6ft 3 body, Ben practically skipped in that direction almost instantly colliding with someone.

The smaller frame connects hard against his broad chest, bouncing immediately off and heading towards the ground. On instinct, his hand catches the slim wrist, straightening the person who walked into him with and coming face to face with a beautiful young woman.

Hazel eyes flecked with fireworks of brown stare up at him, high cheekbones scattered with freckles and plump pink lips parted in shock that seems to catch and keep Ben’s attention for longer than appropriate. The feel of her warm breath against the skin of his bare neck brings him back to reality and the fact that he still has a hold of her wrist.

Pulling away as if burned, Ben takes a step back, trying to calm his breathing. Coffee coloured hair reaching past her shoulders, her eyes wide and fearful as he notices the totally inappropriate state of dress this young woman is currently running around New York during December.

A flowing white dress that, on closer inspection, sparkles with different shades of blue gems. Arms bare, Ben notices the intricate lines of a tattoo running from the tops of her shoulders before disappearing down her back.

“Excuse me, Sir,” her voice is like winter sunshine after the long night. Ben can almost feel his body relax before his brain processes the words, “What world is this?”

*

_This world is loud and not like home._

The weight of the gentleman’s coat feels heavy against her shoulders, the material itching against her wings as they ride within the metal device that is to take them somewhere safe. Already Rey feels at ease in this man's presence, even if he seems to glance in her direction every 4 minutes and 40 seconds before sighing and can’t seem to stop nervously tapping his hand against his leg.

_Another quick glance, another sigh._

The metal box dings and the doors slide open before the man. Ben he introduced himself as, ushers her towards a wooden door with a familiar circular shape made of leaves, twigs and flowers.

“Oh, you are celebrating the turning of the seasons?” Ben seems to eye her in a daze as if shocked to hear her speak. Taking the opportunity to reflect on her guide, Rey notices the paleness of his skin, dotted with marks slightly darker to the ones branded across her cheeks and how it contrasts with the ebony locks that brush against the collar of his clothes. He has full lips that he seems to be gnawing on nervously while he looks at her, and those eyes, dark as the cocoa that warms her daily at home.

“Um, what?” She gestures at the decoration while he places his hand on the metal handle of the door. “Oh, the wreath? My, um… the person who lives here loves Christmas.”

Confused at his words, Rey watches Ben knock on the door after a few minutes of calming his breathing. After a few moments, Rey can make out shuffling and muffled curses from the other side of the door. The door is quickly pulled open where a tired-looking man with a shock of red hair sticking up in every direction stands gazing open-mouthed at Ben.

Rey takes in this stranger’s appearance, tall, although slightly smaller than Ben, and with a skinnier frame dressed in plaid pyjamas. The man’s face was a canvas of sharp lines, high cheekbones and the same coloured hair dusting his strong chin, Rey can’t help but compare the two humans she has been in close contact with.

_This world sure knows how to create handsome men!_

“Ben, what the hell? What are you doing here?” Green eyes flicker upwards, finally taking notice of Rey. His gaze notices the thin, white dress buried underneath Ben’s huge black coat. Those eyes catching something that has him looking slightly confused. “Ben, your lady friend seems to be missing shoes.”

*

“Ok, so let me get this straight,” Hux angrily whispers at Ben in the kitchen, even though his angry whisper is the same volume as his normal voice. Banging the tray of cookies on the counter, “I haven’t seen you in six months and you show up at my door Christmas Eve morning with a half dressed, shoeless girl that you met in the middle of New York?”

“I didn’t know what else to do?” The knot in Ben’s stomach tightens as he watches Armitage move around the kitchen he once shared with him. He avoids looking in the cabinets, not sure if he would rather they be the same or if Armitage decided to change in his absence.

The apartment didn’t look much different, the leather couch in the room was the same, as was the red and black plaid blanket that Leia had knitted them one year. The bookcase bursting with Armitage’s crime novels still stands in the corner, and the other nic-nacs dotted around the space.

A lived in home. Ben’s apartment is a poor imitation.

“You should have called the authorities, damn it, Ben.” Another batch of cookies are practically thrown from the oven, “you should have called your mother.”

“Mom thinks I’m in Poland.”

Armitage’s eyes snap to Ben’s, his gaze so intense that Ben can feel his body trying to make himself smaller. “So, you’re lying to Leia now?” Slamming the oven door closed, another tray of cookies hit the side as Armitage swings around to face him, the familiar aroma of his ex’s cooking that normally causes Ben’s mouth to water causes his stomach to roll.

“I would have thought that with it being the first anniversary, you would have spent some time with her.” Biting his tongue, Ben feels himself tense at the topic of discussion, arms fold against his chest, almost trying to keep the pressure on the pain weighing in his heart.

“But instead,” Armitage continues, noting the tension radiating off the other man, “you rock up at my door with a girl that’s half naked and looks barely legal. Are you trying to punish me more?”

The last word comes out broken, Ben’s eyes flickering instantly and the pressure in his chest building more than he imagined it could.

A smash from the room breaks the tension, their guest almost forgot as they quickly make their way to the other room. “Do you think she has something wrong with her?” Ben finds himself muttering almost under his breath.

Gritting his teeth when he hears Hux mutter behind him, “The girl is running around New York barefoot, what do think?”

Spinning around, the two men almost hit each other’s noses, Ben noticing how Armitage’s green eyes flicker down to his lips. “Please, Armitage, give her a chance, you didn’t see how scared she was.”

They find Rey trying to collect the glass of their high school prom photograph that she has knocked off the side. The fact that it is still on display has the beginning of hopeful butterflies fluttering in Ben’s stomach. The borrowed coat forgotten on the floor, Ben finds himself noticing the detail of the symmetrical tattoos he had caught sight of earlier. The lines sweep from the top of her shoulders and seem to line up along her spine, the skin between each line seems to shimmer in a pattern that Ben has never seen before on someone's skin.

Her brow is pinched with worry as Armitage kneels beside her and Ben runs to grab the broom. “Please be careful of the glass,” Armitage murmurs gently, noticing the anxiety radiating off the young woman. “I’m sorry, where are my manners? My name’s Armitage Hux.”

“Rey and I’m so sorry about the photograph. I’ve never seen one before.”

“A photo?” Armitage asks as they move out of Ben’s way, he tries to ignore the goosebumps he feels as his skin touches the stranger’s fingers when he offers to help her up.

“No, a family.” She eyes the man nervously, playing with her fingers as she debates what to do next. Armitage notices the picture still within the frightened woman’s hand, how the broken frame shakes slightly in her grasp.

Slowly, so not to startle, Armitage takes the photograph from her hand, smiling absently at the picture of himself and Ben at their high school graduation. His gaze catches his younger self standing proudly alongside the people in the photograph, the way his ginger hair fell across his eyes and the lack of stubble he had yet to grow. All fresh-faced and gangly limbs, Ben’s hair only just covering the ears he loathes so much, even though Armitage spent countless hours telling him how he thought they were cute. Those deep, brown eyes were much more carefree in the image than they were in the present as if the weight of the world had fallen on the young Ben’s shoulders in such a short time. The two men were flanked by the best people Armitage knew, the petite woman with her arm wrapped around the young Hux’s side, her brown eyes a similar colour of her son’s, although with a fierce edge that had fought in Armitage’s corner when needed; Leia Organa-Solo.

At the other side stood Han, Ben’s father. Being so close to his son, the similar shape of jaw and nose were blatantly obvious, as were the same way both father and son held a certain amount of swagger and the mischievous wink that had brought Armitage’s attention to the youngest Swolo family member.

“This is when Ben and I graduated high school, we had been dating for six months.”

Rey smiled, eyeing the photograph again, her interest almost childlike toward the object. “The other couple?”

“Ben’s parents, Han and Leia.” Armitage catches Ben returning from the kitchen, noticing how the other man catches sight of the picture in his hand.

“They were great when we came out.” Returning the memory back to its place, Armitage drops to the couch. He can practically sense Ben tensing at the mention of his parents, but Hux catches the confused gaze of the woman before him.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand what coming out is?” Rey’s eyes travel to Armitage and Ben in confusion, her brow pinched as if she’s trying to solve a brain teaser.

“When you’re gay, bisexual, lesbian… many things,” Ben replies, confused at the conversation he’s found himself in with a random, shoeless woman he found off the street and his ex-boyfriend in the same room. “It’s what you do.”

“What are those things?”

“They’re labels of who you love, I guess,” Hux murmurs, equally as stumped at Rey’s lack of knowledge with words universally known.

“This world is a confusing place,” Rey murmurs almost to herself, Ben joining Armitage on the couch, resting his hands against his knees when the young woman looks to them both. “Love is a precious thing, it is too magical to be given something as archaic as a label.”

Both Ben and Armitage stare at the woman before them, sitting in quiet reflection of the world they live in. Rey looks at the photograph once more, confused at how the obvious love radiating from the image had been given a label.

“Can I show you something?”

The two men sit nervously on the old, battered leather couch they bought at a yard sale a few years ago, Armitage trying to ignore the fact he can feel the heat radiating from Ben’s thigh at his close proximity.

Taking a deep breath, the lines along Rey’s skin begin to shimmer in the light of the room. Ben feels like he’s dreaming when the ink pulls away from her skin, the shimmer he had noticed before turn to a range of lilac and blue hues.

_Wings. Rey has wings._

“Fuck me, Ben,” Hux gasps beside him as Ben stares open-mouthed at the young woman before him. A nervous smile plays against her lips as she tries to figure out their reaction. “What the hell did you bring home this time?”

*

They sit on the couch, the men staring in shock at her as a bottle filled with amber liquid is passed between them. Ben hasn’t spoken a word since she revealed her wings, his eyes never leaving her face while he drinks straight from the bottle that Armitage had silently grabbed from the kitchen.

Rey feels self-conscious, having never revealed her wings to anyone before. The way the men stare, filled with a mixture of awe and fear, has her stomach in knots, a flick of her fingers and her ice power frost the window pane instantly. Hux is the first to speak, his mouth opening and closing several times before he finally asks, “Holy shit, Elsa, where the hell did you come from?”

Arms wrapped around herself, Rey finds herself eyeing the coat at her feet. She doesn’t feel the chill of this world, her magic protecting her against the harshest winters, but she misses the reassuring weight of the material.

As if sensing her distress, Ben rises to his feet pulling the red and black patterned blanket from the seat. His lips rise in a smile as he drapes it over her shoulders. “Thank you, I like this pattern.”

“It’s called plaid, it comes in different…”

“Can we talk plaid later?” Hux cuts Ben off, Rey noticing a flush of pink brightening the usual pale skin as he eyes the other man sitting on the couch, still not sure on the status of the relationship between the two. “Can we get back to the fact you have brought a real-life fairy into my living room and talk different patterns at a later time?”

Returning to his seat, Rey notices how he avoids her gaze. Her eyes meet Hux’s as she continues, “I’m from another dimension far from here.”

“With people like you?” Ben questions, smiling reassuringly when Rey nervously catches his eye. Nodding slowly, she focuses on him.

“Many different creatures live in our world and all possess some form of magic, one way or another.” Pulling the fabric tighter, she focuses on those eyes so intent on her own, matching her breathing subconsciously to his. “I came here to achieve my mission.”

“And what’s that?” Armitage’s soothing tone has goose pimples rising against her skin. Rey’s eyes catch sight of his staring up at her, warmth spreading in her chest at their gaze.

“Maz, the Witch, told me that ‘the belonging I seek isn’t behind me, it is ahead’.” Hux pulls the bottle from Ben’s hand, taking a drink, he winces before meeting Rey’s stare.

“What does that mean?”

“My family isn’t in my world, but Maz seems to think they are in this one.”

Ben gingerly raises his hand, catching the mythical creature and Armitage’s attention. “So, you’re planning on searching the planet for your family?”

“Maz narrowed it down to this place, she told me to trust the man with the red coat.”

“Ok, so we have New York city filled with over eight million people,” swinging the bottle back, Hux scoffs, “How many of them do you think own a red coat?”

 

“I have twenty-four hours to find them and return home.” Pulling the bottle from his ex-partner’s hand, Ben tilts his head back, guzzling down on the liquid, grimacing at the burn.

 

“Wow, she needs a miracle,” Ben murmurs to Hux at his side, watching as she turns away, her wings returning to their inky disguise.

“She needs Santa.” Slumping in his chair, Ben groans at Armitage’s unwavering Christmas spirit, even in the worse situation.

“Well, Ben, you know one thing for sure,” clapping a hand against Ben’s shoulder, his hand colliding with muscle as Armitage regrets the action as soon as he feels his hand touch his body. Hiding the blush, he stands and returns the half drank bottle to its rightful place “Han would approve, he always had a thing for Tinkerbell.”

“Who is this Tinkerbell?” Brows pinched, Rey asks, causing Armitage to laugh as she notices Ben clench his jaw.

A gesture that Armitage misses when Ben pulls himself to stand, his face stern as he retreats from the group. “Let’s not, Armitage.”

“Oh, Ben. C’mon, lighten up, it’s Christmas!” Catching his arm, Armitage almost pleads, the tension from earlier begins to rise. “Han would have loved this, he always had a thing for the supernatural.”

“Stop it.” Wrenching his arm away, Ben moves to leave again

“You know what, Ben? No,” the snap of the last word causing Ben to freeze in his retreat. Hair stands on the nape of Rey’s neck when she catches the thunderous gaze passing between the two men “How dare you? You turn up at my door after you walked out six months ago and drop this on my lap and you think that I have to tiptoe around you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it because that’s not why I came.”

“Then why did you?”

“To win you back!”

The revelation knocks the wind out of Armitage’s sails, words he had dreamt of for over half a year screamed at him during the early hours of Christmas Eve morning. With a real-life fairy as an audience.

“Grief is hard Ben and you can’t keep running from it,” Hux’s tone wavers, his eyes glassy as he speaks to his returning love. He watches as Ben bites down hard on his bottom lip, his jaw rolling like it does when he’s fighting back tears, one of his hands running through the inky mass of hair that has grown during their time apart. A tear falls from Armitage’s eye as he watches Ben bolt, the image almost identical to six months previous.

Heaving a deep sigh, Armitage meets Rey’s concerned gaze. “Let’s go out for a smoke.”

*

Inhaling another drag from his cigarette, Armitage feels his body begin to relax as Rey moves beside him, noticing how it provides no heat like humans do. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“It’s ok.” Turning to face her as he blows the smoke away, she rewards him with a weak smile, “I hear families are complicated.”

“Understatement of the year.” The winter wind bites at his exposed skin, he can almost feel the tip of his nose beginning to redden with the temperature as he watches Rey stand before him unaffected.

“Ben’s a really great guy, it’s just this last year brings back bad memories for him.” Smiling sadly, Armitage can’t help but recount all the good memories he had of Christmas before last year.

Noticing his discomfort, she pulls the plaid blanket from her shoulders, standing on her tiptoes and chuckling softly when Armitage lowers his frame so she can reach his shoulders, the blanket rests against his skin. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Eyeing Rey, he notices the look of concern on her face for Ben. Sighing, he takes another drag of his cigarette before continuing, “Ben lost his father last year, it was sudden and horrible. Ben didn’t come to terms with Han’s prognosis soon enough and by the time he did… well, Han was already gone.”

“When we came out to Han and Ben’s mum, Leia, we were so nervous and he just looked at us both shook my hand and said, _‘welcome to the family kid’_ ,” Armitage’s voice wavers, his fingers clench as he continues, “My father, on the other hand, was a different story.” His eyes meet Rey’s, finishing the story of his father with nothing but a look “I learnt early on that family isn’t just about blood, you can choose it if you want to.”

“And your mother?” He feels his lip pull down at the mention of his mother. Meeting the curious look appearing on Rey's face, he notices for the first time the dusting of freckles spread across her nose.

“She died when I was 10.”

Suddenly he feels himself being pulled into a fierce hug, Rey’s arms wound tightly against him as she silently holds him through the grief and pain. “I’m sorry,” he hears her murmur near his ear.

“For what?” His face etched with confusion, but his body unwilling to pull from the comfort of human contact. Well, kinda human.

“You lost someone too.”

When he moves to retreat inside, Rey holds onto his hand, her eyes were full of an emotion Armitage can’t quite decipher. “Can I show you something?” Nodding slowly, he returns to her embrace, his eyes on her own when she instructs him to focus and he is happy to oblige.

“Look down.,” whispering, Armitage peers between their bodies pressed together, his arms tightening instinctively when he realises that they are far up in the sky, the world and people beneath them like toys at their feet.

Staring at the world below in amazement, the thump of his heart echoed in his ears, the clouds beside them, the beat of Rey’s wings were relaxing like the crash of sea foamed waves on a tropical paradise.

“I’ll help you find your family, Rey.” The smile he’s rewarded with has his stomach somersaulting, the flutter of her wings matching the butterflies in his stomach as they begin their descent back to the world.

*

They return to the warmth of his home shortly after, Rey struggling to stop the smile that finds itself returning to her lips when she notices the way the tips of his nose has turned a bright shade of pink.

Sitting together beside the fire, Armitage asks her about home. Rey tells him about the world she lives in, how the Enchanted Forest is the world of all creatures that seemingly have become myth and works of fiction in this world. Tales of the creatures ruled by the night and moon who live on to feed their urges for blood and flesh. The creatures that call the shores around the Enchanted Forest home, lulling any lost sailor to a watery grave, and finally the fairies that are the guardians of the world, every fairy of each season protects the balance of this world to ensure that it continues.

Armitage talks about his world, the holiday that she has found herself arriving before and for the first time since Ben, he talks to someone about his mother. He shares how he would bake with her on Christmas eve, cookies and other sugary desserts that they would devour after Christmas dinner.

“And you are the Winter fairy?” Nodding, she laughs quietly when he tries to stifle a yawn, her body not needing the rest that humans seem to need. Eventually, he falls to sleep and Rey can’t help snuggling by his side, closing her eyes as she rests to the beat of his heart.

Sometime later, she hears the front door pull open, gentle footsteps move towards them as someone settles beside them. A deep sigh that she recognises as Ben, she almost jumps when Armitage speaks, his arms tightening slightly in the other’s presence.

“You decided to come back this time?” Armitage murmurs, the soft vibrations from his chest flowing through Rey’s entire body.

“I’ll always come back to you, Armitage.” She feels the man holding her move underneath her form, keeping her body close against his, almost like a shield.

“It took six months last time.” Ben sighs, and she can’t help but peek through her eyelids, seeing the tall man slumped on the floor, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “And what about her?”

Armitage’s question has Rey snapping her eyes close, adrenaline coursing through her veins, yearning to hear Ben’s response.

Ben must nod when Armitage replies, “You like her.” A statement, not a question.

“You don’t?”

“Fair enough.” Sitting in silence, Rey feels when Armitage gently moves the blanket from their bodies. “C’mon, Ben, you’ll be crippled if you fall asleep on the floor.”

She feels Ben join them, the reassuring feel of the couch dipping with his weight, and Rey feels something she hasn’t felt in a million years.

_Safe._

“We have to help her,” Ben whispers, a ghost of fingertips pull loose hair from her face as she feigns sleep.

“We will,” Armitage sounds confident as his body relaxes against Rey’s, his arms beginning to loosen against her waist.

“How are we going to do that? There must be over a million people, at least, that own a red coat in New York.”

 

“Guess we have to start with the big guns and make our way down.”

“Hux, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Santa, Solo, now shut up and go to sleep.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The boys help Rey on her mission to find her family
> 
> Hope you are enjoying my little Reylux story Akashne

[ ](https://ibb.co/DR2xx9f)

Sleep eludes Armitage, staring into the fire that had long since burned out, a loose thread from the blanket woven between his fingers as thoughts rage inside his head.

 

“You’re thinking too loud, you woke me up,” Ben’s voice at this late hour startles him, his body jolting against Rey’s side. The fairy, none the wiser, snuggled deeper against his side. Ben’s sleep-addled eyes observe him from the other side of the couch, Armitage already aware that he could never keep anything that bothered him from Ben. “What’s wrong?”

 

Biting his fingernail, Armitage’s eyes return to the fire. Things he thought he knew about himself had been turned upside down with a single knock on his front door. “I can’t stop thinking about what Rey said.” When Ben looks at him questionably, he murmurs, “the labels thing.”

 

Understanding dawns on Ben’s face, his hand finding Armitage’s leg under the blanket, gently squeezing his calf when he quietly murmurs, “You thinking about when Brendol found out?”

 

“You mean when he kicked me out for loving you?” Biting his nail sharply, a fresh drop of blood almost bursting through the skin. “I guess we couldn’t all have supportive parents like the Solo’s.”

 

“Hey,” Ben leans forward, practically pulling the abused finger from Hux’s lips, Rey’s sleeping form between them. “You survived Brandol, you came out years ago. Why are you worried about this?”

 

“I’m not worried,” Armitage snaps, freezing in fear of waking the fairy between them, “I’m confused.”

 

“Of what?”

 

“When I realised I loved you, I felt like the world revolved around you, I felt sick, like the butterflies in my stomach would never rest and I knew at that moment that it was real and for the first time I felt like I had it all figured out.”

 

Armitage’s breath stutters when Rey turns in her sleeping state, her arm winding its way around his body. “And now?” Ben quietly asks, his body tense, heart almost ready to be broken to the chance that Armitage no longer feels these things for him.

 

“I’m not so sure who I am now, but I know I still love you, Ben... “ Armitage’s sure gaze bringing a relieved smile to Ben’s lips, his eyes slipping to the fairy lying between them, “but I think I could be falling in love with Rey too.”

 

“And that’s a bad thing?”

“No, not bad.” Meeting Ben’s gaze, Armitage sighs, “It’s a new thing.”

 

*****

 

Hushed whispering rouse Ben from his sleep on the too cramped couch, back and shoulders beginning to ache, but it was the lack of body warmth around him that had pulled him from his dreams and the quiet conversation going on by the pair sitting in front of him.

 

Peeking through his lashes, Ben felt a warm feeling blooming within his chest. Armitage and Rey snuggled together, their backs turned away from Ben, resting against the couch cushions as they sit on the floor. A faded blue blanket that Ben recognises from it usually resting on the bottom of his and Armitage’s bed wrapped around them.

 

Armitage’s bed head hair blocks the view of the TV, but from the noises alone, Ben can recognise the movie that his partner (ex) is playing. Home Alone.

 

“And this is one of the popular Christmas movies?” Rey’s sweet voice brings goosebumps to Ben’s skin, watching as Armitage eyes her when she’s staring at the screen. A wave of excitement surging through Ben at the look of utter devotion both men are struggling to conceal.

 

“This, Rey,” Armitage gestures at the screen, his English accent clipped as Ben recognises the rehearsed speech he has found himself a subject of many of times over the years, “Is the greatest Christmas film of all time.”

 

A snort escapes Ben before he can stop it, making both the fairy and the man jump as if they had forgotten the giant snoozing behind them.

 

“You disagree?” Armitage snips, the tension from Ben’s return seemingly forgotten for the time being. Ben stares up at the face he had thought he had lost forever, those emerald eyes that 

clearly saw through his bullshit.

 

“You know I do,” his hand is already raised, pushing through that fiery copper hair he had missed so much, “The Grinch that stole Christmas is the best.”

 

Rey’s hands reach out, one on Ben’s thigh the other on Armitage’s shoulder, her face filled with excitement. “Can we watch that afterwards?”

 

“We could,” Armitage’s gaze flickers to the clock above the kitchen stove, “but we have someone for you to meet.”

 

Ben slowly rises from his position on the couch listening as he stretched out the kinks in his body while Armitage explained the plan to Rey. A smile played on his lips when Armitage stands in front of the TV, watching the movie draw to its end. Almost speaking to himself, “It always feels more Christmassy with some snow.”  

 

With the TV off, the two men turn standing face to face to the fairy, both sets of eyes flickering to the pale, thin gown adorned on her person. 

 

“Ok, we’re gonna need some new clothes.”

 

*

Rey wasn’t too sure why the men kept eyeing her clothes, both their cheeks pinked when Armitage mumbled about looking for something more suitable, even though she had explained to the pair that the cold didn’t bother her anyway!

 

Now sporting a pair of borrowed boots from Armitage’s neighbour Phasma and a soft plaid shirt that Ben had plucked from one of the closets in the master bedroom, she had been deemed ready.

 

Rey witnessed Ben turning in silent question when he had spotted the patterned button-up, holding the fabric between his fingers. “I always loved that shirt on you, I couldn’t throw it out,” Hux had grumbled in explanation. She didn’t miss the smile on Ben’s lips when he handed it to her to put on.

 

“I’m ready.” The boots were slightly too big, as was the shirt over her dress, but she felt a blooming under her ribs as the two men met her eyes, the strength of the feelings she was experiencing in such a small space of time towards these kind strangers.

 

Pulling a navy coat from the peg, Armitage gently places it over her shoulders, the whisper of his breath against her skin having Rey shudder when her eyes meet his. “Now, let’s go find you a Santa.”

 

*

_ Manhattan Mall on Christmas Eve? C’mon, Hux, you can do this. _

 

Armitage has always thought he was a patient man, hell, compared to Ben he was a goddamn saint. But even the almighty himself would be close to snapping at the hoard of people that were currently crammed within this mall.

 

Constantly checking that Ben didn’t go full postal when people kept catching one of his large shoulders, or that Rey doesn’t wander off when she spots a random object, finding it massively interesting that she forgets their purpose for even being out in the middle of this mayhem.

 

Finally, they make it to one of the stores. Rey, having stopped suddenly, practically wrenching the entrance doors off its hinges, the two men were left behind, staring at the back of her head as she was becoming lost in the crowd. Ben had shrugged his shoulders at Hux, mumbling something about a ‘Fairy thing’, before quickly following. And that’s how at the age of thirty-five, Armitage Hux was waiting to meet Santa.

 

Excited children chattering around them, Rey watching with that wonder that Armitage found was one of his favourite things to witness, when the mystical creature caught sight of the big man himself.

 

Rey’s eyes widened, the flecks of caramel gold expanding on the forest green backdrop, the gasp of breath as both of her hands snatched a hold of Ben and Armitage’s, excitedly squeezing to a point Hux almost winced.

 

Sitting on his gold and burgundy throne, flanked by what had to be the most amount of fake snow that Hux had ever seen, sat Santa. The red robe adorned his frame, a greying beard trimmed neatly against his jaw, not one of those tacky white fake ones. His long hair mostly hidden by the bright red Santa hat perched upon his head and a pair of bright blue eyes staring at the band of adults currently sticking out of the group like a sore thumb.

 

“Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding!”

 

“Armitage!” Ben snapped instantly, his giant hands covering Rey’s ears like the dozens of parents around them. His look of disgust a copy of the death stares Hux is currently receiving from everyone around them.

 

Armitage’s gaze unwavering towards Santa’s, not believing that Ben hasn’t noticed.

 

“That’s Uncle Luke.”

 

*

 

_ This cannot be happening, This cannot be fucking happening. _

 

Almost being thrown out of the department store after Hux’s outburst, the only thing stopping the security guards was the Santa chasing them down as the band of three misfits were guided away from the crying children.

 

And now Ben was here.

 

In some random break room, Armitage was almost as bright red as his hair with embarrassment, biting his thumbnail as his emerald eyes flicker from Ben to Luke nervously. Rey, oblivious to the historical tension between Ben and his Uncle, gazes at the older man in wonder.

 

“You’re not from here,” Luke speaks solely to Rey, his eyes not acknowledging the two men as soon as he had caught sight of the woman with them. Ben watches on when Luke gently takes Rey’s hand in his, listens as she explains her situation.

 

Ben could put money on the fact that Luke would believe her because his uncle was known for being slightly eccentric. His father had called it an instinct that surrounded his friend, something that the two men would talk about over a beer. The supernatural stories that would grip them while Ben’s mother Leia would roll her eyes and smirk at the two.

 

Ben’s beliefs had mirrored his mother’s until Rey had literally fallen into his life.

 

“This isn’t going to go the way you think,” Ben smiles sadly at Rey, noticing how himself and Hux move forward as if on impulse to protect the fairy. “All my life, I have felt this connection with the world, a force that connects us all together.” Tapping the back of Rey’s hand gently, “I felt your arrival yesterday and I’ve never felt that in this world before.”

 

Ben’s eyes meet Hux’s, both men standing silently, listening to the conversation. Watching as Rey’s lower lip begins to tremble, her eyes begin to mist with unshed tears, “My family have never been in this world.”

 

“The family you thought you were looking for have not, but the family you deserve are.”

 

*

 

Blinding disappointment riddles her insides, eyes filled with tears, she pushes past her human companions, the calls of her name falling on deaf ears. Heart beating too fast inside her chest, she bolts for freedom.

 

_ Too many people, it’s too loud. _

 

Fresh air hits her lungs like a thirst she’s never felt before, the bright lights she had been so fond of on the way inside now feel too bright. Spotting a space between two buildings, she moves, seeking solace in the quiet. A big hand grabs her shoulder, her instincts screaming to defend, whipping around, her ice spear forming in her left hands grasp, the end pointed against her potential attacker's throat.

 

“Hey, it’s me!” Ben’s low voice starts to break away the fog inside Rey’s head, recognising the sound of footsteps behind them as Armitage appears.

 

“You wanna drop the weapon, Rey?” Quickly realising she was still brandishing her spear, Rey drops it instantly, the thick piece of ice melting when it hits the ground.

 

“They were never here,” her voice barely a whisper, her eyes staring at Ben’s covered chest as the notion sinks in, “they left me... like I was nothing.”  

 

Winter wind begins to pick up around the trio, the sky beginning to darken as the temperature plummets suddenly. “Rey, listen to me,” grabbing hold of her shoulder, the fairy catching Armitage approaching from the corner of her eye, “They may have thought that you were nothing, but you are everything to me.”

 

“To us,” Armitage amends, his tall form caging Rey in as the two men pull her close, a hug to warm the broken heart of someone that had never felt the cold before.

 

Running his hands down her arms, Armitage brings shivers across her skin when he murmurs in her ear, “Let’s warm you up, sweetheart.” Slowly pulling away from one another, the weather around them recovering from Rey’s ice power outburst when a voice away from the group has Ben swearing instantly.

 

“Well, look who we have here,” says a woman Rey recognises from the photograph at Armitage’s home, although slightly older with a grey tinge to her hair at the roots and a few more lines against her face. Leia Organa Solo stands at the edge of the alleyway, her eyes a mixture of emotions Rey’s not sure she can figure out. “This doesn’t look like the Polish Lake District, Ben!”

 

Rey was sure she felt Ben physically shudder against her.

 

*

 

Ben can’t tear his gaze away from the couple sitting by the window, Armitage had taken off his jacket and Ben was having great difficulty not looking at the navy dress shirt underneath. Rey wasn’t any easier to look away from either, his plaid shirt falling to mid-thigh and hiding the hint of curves he had only been given a glimpse of.

 

“So, are you going to explain what the hell is going on or continue to stare love eyes at them?”

 

If Ben could physically manage to grab both Hux and Rey under his arms and bolt without his mother noticing then he would do it, hell, even now with the looming conversation waiting like a wolf at his door. Ben was seriously considering it.

 

Heaving a deep sigh, turning away from the cute scene of Hux and Rey drinking in the warm cocoa in festive mugs. Ben shrugs his shoulders at his mother, “What do you want me to say?”

 

Those eyes so similar to his own watch him critically, pulling her burgundy jacket closer, Leia’s eyes scan to the direction Ben’s forcing himself to avoid. “I knew as soon as I got your message that you would be heading to see Armitage, although the girl is a surprise.”

 

“She’s out of this world, Mom.” 

 

Leia meets her son’s eye, the range of emotions burning behind them almost takes her breath away. “She seems pretty amazing, Ben, but what about..”

 

“No, Mom, she’s not from here.” 

 

And so Ben catches his mother up on his adventures since he left that voicemail, how he had travelled to New York to win Armitage back, which had Leia smiling and slapping his cheek fondly. How he and Rey had practically collided with each other and how she had revealed herself as a fairy from another universe to himself and Armitage.

 

“Wow.” The barista hands them their drinks, allowing Leia the reprieve to process the information she had just been handed. Her hand catching the arm of the barista and handing her cup of coffee back, “Any chance you can switch this for something stronger?”

 

“We have mulled wine?”

 

“Perfect.” The legendary no-nonsense attitude of Leia Organa Solo making Ben smirk behind his coffee cup, the flustered barista scuttling away to change the order.

 

“You don’t believe me.” Sipping at his own black coffee, Ben’s eyes find themselves back to the pair at the window, the way that Rey smiles at a story Hux is sharing and at the way his heart seems to stutter when she catches his gaze.

 

“No, Ben, that’s the thing,” the wine arrives and Leia practically gulps it in one go, muttering how she would kill for a bottle of rose at that moment, before handing the empty glass back to the barista. “You and Armitage have been in love with each other since you could appreciate what the word meant, but I see how that girl looks at you both and it would take some sort of magic for there to be someone else that can love you both as equally as she seems to.”

 

Ben’s eyes snap back to his mother’s, forgetting how to breathe with the sudden clearing of his senses. Of course, this feeling was familiar. He was in love with Armitage… and Rey.

 

“I’ve only known her a day..”

 

“Ben,” Leia’s hand finds itself against his cheek, Ben melting into the touch, “there's no time limit with love, you just know.”

 

“Did you… did you know with dad?”

 

A soft laugh escapes Leia as she stares up at her baby boy, “Of course not, I thought your father was a stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder!”

 

Ben’s laugh catches everyone in the coffee shop’s attention, the deep chuckle bringing smiles to both Armitage and Rey’s face when they hear Leia’s laugh alongside her son’s. “No, it wasn't love at first sight for me, but your father always said it was for him.”

 

With a soft smile, Leia links her son's arm, drinks in hand, they move to join the others at the table. “I guess it’s a trait that runs in the Solo family.”

 

* 

She can feel the cocoa calming her nerves, the tension between Ben and his mother eased from the conversation they shared waiting for their drinks. Armitage had been recalling memories of Christmases long gone, tales from his childhood of Christmas mornings with his mother before she got sick, how she had bundled the young Hux in layers of clothes so that they could go outside in the cold British winter and play in the snow. The look of fondness in Armitage’s faraway gaze almost warmed Rey up more than her cocoa.

 

“So, Rey,” Leia smiled warmly, taking a sip from her drink that didn’t look like the coffee she had ordered, “Ben told me about your search for your family, what now?”

 

Biting her lip, Rey sadly shrugs her shoulders, “I failed my mission,” a pair of deep brown eyes and bright green meet her own, “I guess I return to where I came from.”

 

Leia’s hands reach across the table they sit at, halting Rey’s hands that absentmindedly destroyed a paper napkin, “Where you came from? Is that what you want?”

 

The warmth in Leia’s hands has Rey almost bursting into tears, staring at the bright lights and crowds of New York through the window, she answers truthfully, “I’m not sure what I want anymore.”

 

The conversation quietens until Leia forces a conversation out of Armitage, enquiring about his plans for Christmas Day. Ben’s hand gently takes hold of one of Rey’s, stilling their napkin onslaught with the small reassurance of contact. The older woman gasps in disgust when she hears the young ginger man’s plan of spending the holidays alone, ordering take-out and living on the sugary treats he had baked.

 

“Well, that was before…” eyeing both Ben and Rey, Hux met Ben’s gaze, “I had no plans, I mean… till a day ago.”

 

“Well, you are more than welcome at Luke’s place,” patting Armitage’s hand, Leia rises from her seat and shrugs on her coat, “that goes for all of you.”

 

Reaching out and pushing a strand of Rey’s hair behind her ear, Leia smiles sweetly, “I hope we meet again, Rey.” A kiss to her son’s forehead and Leia Organa-Solo was out the door, missing the single tear that fell from Rey’s face at the motherly gesture.

 

The antique clock above the counter chimes with another approaching hour, Rey eyeing the time slipping through her fingers. “Rey,” Armitage’s voice eased the panic bubbling within her, “What now?”

 

The movement of the outside world helps Rey to calm, the humans all excited for tomorrow, even if Rey would do anything for time to stay still. The excitement electric around her, the lights, the people, the magic and that’s when she knew, “I want you to show me Christmas.”

 

Armitage and Ben think for a moment before saying at the same time, “Rockefeller Center.”

 

*

 

The seventy-two foot Christmas tree stands tall behind them, as Armitage can’t believe what he’s about to do. He’s done this a grand total of once before and he has the scar on his leg to prove it, but here he stands, gripping onto the barrier as if his life depended on it.

 

_ He was 95% sure it did because ice skating was not Armitage’s thing. _

 

But that’s what you did for the guy you loved and the mystical fairy pretty much plucked from the fairytales his mother used to read to him as a child, you do crazy shit to make them happy. Like tying metal death traps to your feet and expecting to stay upright.

 

“I’m going to die,” mumbling angrily to himself when he loses balance for a second, a familiar strong arm steadies him as Ben gracefully glides by his side.  _ What a dick! _

 

Shrugging away from Ben’s warmth, frustration begins to burn within Armitage’s veins when he catches Ben’s look of hurt. “So, when do you go back to Chicago?”

 

The question knocks the other man off guard. The way he puts distance between them as Hux attempts to skate in a fashion away, catches the sight of Rey, gliding effortlessly across the ice, pirouetting in the air from time to time.

 

“Why would I be going back?”

 

“You know, you live there.” Another wobble as he finds himself losing the grip of the barrier, the weight of his body pulling him away from his safety net. His left ankle gives way first, throwing Armitage’s weight off balance, his body heading for the cold ground when he feels strong hands against his hips, straightening him upright.

 

“Ben, I..” Aimlessly, he tries to pull away, those arms he’s spent many times in tightening against his back, his body is pressed against Ben’s. 

 

“I meant what I said yesterday, I came to win you back, Armitage.” Another half-hearted push against Ben’s broad chest, Hux trying to halt the swell of hopeful emotions and the quiver of his lips.

 

“But Snoke? Your job?” 

 

“I quit before I got on the plane.” The fight dies within Hux, relief that Ben was no longer in the clutches of the boss that had driven them apart. Eyes rising to the sky to hold back the tears of relief, he notices something above them.

 

“Mistleto-?”

 

Warm lips catch his own before the word is fully out, a kiss so familiar, yet still bringing the butterflies of excitement after all these years. The world drifts away and the two men miss the fairy smiling happily at the other end of the rink, the enchanted mistletoe that she had heard people talking about earlier disappearing without anyone noticing.

 

*

As the night begins and the sun fades, Ben can’t help but keep checking the time. His hand was warm from holding onto Hux’s hand while Rey holds the other, it should bring him nothing but joy, his lips still tingling from the kiss with Armitage earlier. 

 

He should feel peace, but Ben feels like he was being torn about, ripped into two clean sections, one that has belonged to the man beside him for years and the other to the woman he couldn’t stop staring at, but it was her impending departure that had his insides in knots.

 

Armitage practically begging them to leave him at the exit, his lips almost blue with how cold the ginger was feeling. And so, with a skip of his heart, Ben took Rey’s hand and off they went.

 

It felt like flying, the way Rey navigated her body on the frozen surface, Ben practically forgetting how the fairy before him commanded the cold element with ease. Lost in the moment, Ben’s skate catches, knocking him completely off balance and sending him hurtling to the ground with a crash.

 

_ Wow, that hurt.  _

 

Slightly winded and with wounded pride, Ben allows himself the moment to nurse both on the frozen ground. Staring up into the inky black sky, the sight of Rey’s concerned upside down face popping into his view has him jumping, catching the back of his skull slightly, causing both himself and Rey to wince.

 

“Are you ok?” Voice riddled with concern, Rey moves around him, kneeling above him, her soft brown hair causing a curtain around them. 

 

“Never better.” His hand finds it’s way against her cheek, noticing how the contact causes her eyelids to flutter as it slowly navigates the back of her neck, guiding her lips against his own, her lips so soft and gentle like a winter breeze after a stifling summer.

 

The kiss was over too soon, the chime of the clock above catching Rey’s attention, his heart sinking with the approaching midnight hour creeping closer. He knew her time in this world was ending like every fairytale he had ever read, the stroke of midnight would break his heart.

 

“Please, Rey,” his hand winds through her hair, his fingertips catching gently against her scalp, “Stay.”

 

As if the spell between them is broken, Rey pushes herself away. Staring up at her, he watches the riot of emotions written across her face before she bolts for the exit.

 

Armitage stood in bewilderment, his skates long gone as Ben sullenly joins him off the ice. “What happened with Rey?”

 

Practically launching his skates away from him, he throws on his shoes and marches away, snapping at Hux, “She’s leaving.”

 

“Yeah, we knew that.” Trying to keep at Ben’s pace, Armitage finally pulls him up, “Hey, Ben, explain to me what happened!”

 

“We kissed,” trying to gauge Hux’s reaction, he’s surprised to not receive any, “And I asked her to stay.”

 

“Ben,” the tone of disappointment in Armitage’s voice is like a punch to the gut, he attempts to push past the smaller man. “Did you give her a reason to stay?”

 

“What?”

 

“Rey has been here two days, she came to find her family, but she has a life back in her world.” Smiling kindly, Armitage moves closer, resting his forehead against Ben’s. “I don’t want her to go either, big guy, but she has to make her own choice, even if we both know what we want her to do.”

 

“I said please,” Ben knows it’s a weak argument, he feels rather than hears the quiet chuckle it brings out of Armitage. “I’m not strong enough to say goodbye.”

 

Avoiding Hux’s gaze, Ben bolts out into the late night Christmas crowd, wiping away tears that begin to fall as memories of another goodbye he wasn’t strong enough to do plays on his mind.

 

* 

 

The portal is beginning to widen, she can sense the power radiating from the point not too far from where she first met Ben. Her skin feels hot and itchy as her wings yearn for release. Rey doesn’t need a clock to know her time in this world is coming to a close, the magic from her home calling to her.

 

“Rey!” The voice of Armitage causes her to jump, spinning as the fiery redhead runs towards her. He doesn’t say anything as he pulls her into a hug, her body pressed against his thin form.

 

Arms that feel different to Ben’s, but still as strong, hold her together as she feels herself pulling him closer. “I know what Ben said and I just want you to know that I would do the same, but I won’t.”

 

“Why?” Her voice cracks at the simple word, Rey finding it hard to fight back the emotions when all she can hear is Armitage’s calming tone in her ear.

 

“Because I’m certain that I’ve fallen in love with you, Rey,” pulling away slightly, Armitage slowly brushes away an errant tear, “and I just want you to be happy.”

 

Her hands find their way into his hair, the orange strands wrapped around Rey’s fingers as she pulls him against her. Lips connecting, and it’s as if the world has started to spin on its axis ten times faster. Fireworks go off in Rey’s mind as the urgency of the situation hits a critical level right where they connect.

 

Gasping for air, Armitage pulls away, still clutching at Rey when the sound of approaching footsteps and a familiar voice calls out the fairy’s name. Ben slides alongside them, Armitage wasn’t even sure he’d ever seen the other man so focused.

 

“Rey, I need to explain,” his plump lips almost bitten to death, a clear sign of him thinking deeply of something important. The dark brown eyes Armitage is so used to seeing, clouded with worry, clear for the first time in a year.

 

“Last year I wasn’t strong enough to say goodbye to my dad. I hate saying goodbye, but I know that you have a life on the other side of that portal and if you have to go then I’ll support you because I love you,” eyes exuding the adoration Ben feels, he moves from the stunned fairy and the smiling man, “you and Armitage are the most important people in my life, and I know you have a world full of magic waiting for you, but I need you to know that you have a home in this world too.”

 

Rey pushes herself from Armitage’s arms, one hand tightly clasped in his while Ben stands before her, one of his hands outstretched in offering to her, “Please, Rey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos fuel Santa's sleigh ... that's what the elf's told me anyway


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here the story ends...
> 
> For the amazing Akashne, I hope you have enjoyed your Reylux story!

[ ](https://ibb.co/0nTsq40)

The cab slows outside Luke Skywalker's townhouse, the snowflakes landing on the idling vehicle as Mariah Carey sings about only wanting one thing for Christmas. Leaning forward, Ben hands the dollars over to the driver before opening the door, the December wind hitting him instantly. 

 

In a night, the world has been transformed, the people of New York awakening to their city covered in deep, crystal-clear snow. Moving out of the way, Ben can barely fight his own grin when he catches a glimpse of Armitage’s face. The childlike excitement practically radiating from him as he grins at the white wonder around him, his smile stretching so wide it reminds Ben of the Cheshire Cat from Wonderland.

 

Armitage stretches his hand back, helping the equally pleased-looking Rey from the car. With the promise of new clothes when they reached the shops, she had to wear her white gown from when she arrived, she shooed the boys away when they suggested anything else.

 

“Well,” both men look at the suddenly nervous fairy by their side quizzically, her hand still holding Armitage’s when she gestured to the scene around them. “Does this make it more Christmassy?”

 

A dawning realisation has Armitage gasping, his hand tightening against Rey’s, his eyes brimming with tears, “Did you do this for me?” 

 

Nodding slowly, her explanation on her lips halted by Armitage passionately pressing his against them. His hands finding their way into her hair, a soft groan pulled from her when he pulls back. “It’s the greatest gift anyone's ever given me.” 

 

“Great, Rey,” Ben mockingly scoffs, his lips stretched to a wide grin, “you kinda set the standards a little high for gift giving on your first Christmas.”

 

*

 

The food smells delicious, Leia having gone all out in such a short amount of prep time. Luke’s kitchen table filled to the brim with Christmas Day servings that made the mouth water at just a glance. Sitting at the head of the table wearing a festive jumper with a bold white snowman, Luke recounts stories of his and Han’s youthful supernatural escapades to Rey, who listens intently.

 

“So,” Leia starts, sitting at the other side, the men on either side of her speaking quietly, gesturing her brussel sprout full fork at Rey’s directions, “Rey is staying.”

 

“Rey is staying,” the three words bringing an immense amount of relief to Armitage every time he realises the truth in them, the beautiful fairy with magic practically bursting from her fingertips had decided to call this world home.

 

“And what does that mean for you three, are you  polyamorous now ?” Ben and Armitage look at each other, a conversation that they had spent all night discussing with Rey.

 

“Actually, mom,” Ben smiling reassuringly at Armitage, the confident tone easing him instantly. “We’re not putting a label on it, except that we all love each other.”

 

A kind smile crosses Leia’s features, her food forgotten, she places a hand against her son’s cheek. “I’m happy for you, Ben, and Han would be too.” Her attention switching to Armitage at her side, “He would be happy for the both of you.”

 

*

 

As the Christmas day drew to a close, the trio bid farewell to Leia and Luke and made their way back to the city. The taxi pulling to a stop in front of Armitage’s apartment, both men exited in a deep discussion about the formers move from Chicago back to New York, neither expecting the snowballs that hit the back of their necks.

 

In sync, they turn, eyeing the smirking fairy currently holding more frozen weapons in her hands. “Rey,” Ben’s voice low, even for his standards, smiles, “did you just..” the question dies as a second snowball hits straight against his jaw.

 

Chaos erupts as the four adults begin throwing snow in earnest, each receiving one at some point in the face. Gasping for breath through the laughter, Rey finds herself on the floor beside Hux, the snow a soft blanket for the hard ground below. “Hey, Rey, watch this,” stretching his arms and legs wide, Armitage moves them up and down, laughing as rouge flakes find themselves in his coppery hair, and Rey can’t help but copy.

 

Ben helps them stand, his arms wrapping around both of their waists, smiling down at their creations on the floor. “Snow angels,” he murmurs, pulling Armitage close by his side.

 

“I prefer the term Snow Fairies” Rey’s comment making Ben laugh, the way he pulls her to him and presses a kiss to her lips melts her heart.

 

Fresh from the shower, Ben’s flannel shirt, that is slowly becoming her own, against her skin, Rey smiles fondly at the two waiting for her on the couch. The plaid blanket wrapped around their legs as they sit on either end of the couch, the perfect space for her between them, bickering like an old married couple about which movie they should watch.

 

Sugary treats in hand that Armitage was baking the first time they had met, Rey joins them. Placing a kiss against each of their lips, she settles between them as they watch the beginning of the winning movie.

 

A tornado of emotions flutter within Rey as the music from the TV begins to play, eyes glassy with tears, she tries to calm her emotions 

 

“Rey, you are going to love this movie. It was my dad’s favourite, it’s based in space..” she knows Ben’s spotted her by his sentence ending abruptly, and how she’s suddenly pulled into his arms, Armitage turning the movie off instantly.

 

“Rey, It’s ok.” Ben’s arm patting her back like a child, Armitage at her side, his hand rubbing along her back. “Talk to us, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

 

Her fingers find their way into Ben’s charcoal hair, her other hand against Armitage’s cheek as she speaks through the tears, “Nothing is wrong,” slowly Ben relaxes his hold, Rey pushing back to see the two men, “I just realised I achieved what I came to this world for.”

 

A slow kiss to Armitage’s lips and one to Ben’s, the fairy happily sighing, “I finally found my family.”

 

And as the snow fell on the city of New York, the lonely woman from another world smiled happily in the arms of the men sitting beside her. The film about heroes from the sky entertained them as the world around them celebrated.

 

It was a perfect Christmas, almost fit for a fairytale.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos bring me Christmas joy :D


End file.
